US senator seeks safety reforms after fatal collision between Army helicopter, regional jet

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, July 15 (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz said on Tuesday he will propose broad air safety legislation after a collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines AAL.O regional jet in January near Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people.

The legislation would require the use of ADS-B, an advanced aircraft-tracking technology, by U.S. Army helicopters near civilian planes, mandate a review of helicopter routes across the country and require the Army inspector general to review "systemic breakdowns" that may have contributed to the fatal collision, Cruz, a Republican said.

Lawmakers from both parties have questioned why the Federal Aviation Administration failed to act for years to address close calls involving helicopters near Reagan.

The National Transportation Safety Board plans a three-day investigative hearing on the collision later this month.

"Radar blind spots, telecommunication failures, and capacity bottlenecks expose the vulnerabilities of a system designed for a previous era," Cruz said.

Last month, a group of seven Democratic senators introduced legislation that would require a review of helicopter and passenger operations at major airports, mandate new FAA safety reviews after fatal passenger airline accidents and require the use of ADS-B.

Senators and regulators have raised alarm at close calls involving Army helicopters. The NTSB has said since 2021, there were more than 15,000 incidents near Reagan between commercial airplanes and helicopters with lateral separation distance of less than 1 nautical mile and vertical separation of less than 400 feet, and 85 close-call incidents during that period.

The FAA in early May barred the Army from training or priority transport flights around the Pentagon after a May 1 close call that forced two civilian planes to abort landings.

The FAA said last month it was negotiating a memorandum with the Army to govern future military flights near commercial planes around Reagan.

Cruz's bill would also require the use of ADS-B In for all aircraft in the same airspace where ADS-B Out is required.

The FAA has imposed permanent restrictions on non-essential helicopter operations around Reagan to eliminate helicopter and passenger jet mixed traffic, including closing one key route.

The FAA said in April it was taking action to prevent collisions between helicopters and passenger planes around the busy Las Vegas airport.